Long story short… It doesn't work.

"You spy!"

The Captain nearly strikes me with his blade, but I narrowly escape his initial strike.

But what's the point?

"All of you, surround that spy this instant!"

All the Imperial Knights obey their captain, and I am surrounded within moments. They create an inescapable net around me and the captain, practically giving me no other choice but to fight in order to escape.

Of course, I still have Tracing as my trump card. I can easily escape by activating the Conception.

But I have to figure out what to do after that, else it would simply be a waste of time.

For now, I have to buy time.

'I need to stall for as long as possible while I find a way to resolve all of this. Even if I fail in the end, I'd still be able to glean some information which could be helpful to me in my next turn—if such a turn exists.'

"Please believe me! I see the future! An ambush awaits beyond the wall of trees up ahead. You can even use me as bait if you wish. I'll prove it to you!"

Of course, the moment a shot is fired, I plan to use Tracing to escape.

Once the first shot is fired, the Knights should get their confirmation. Even then, I'm simply not confident that we'll be able to win.

That sniper is a major problem, to say the least. If I can just get rid of him…

"Silence, spy!" The captain's loud voice nearly deafens me. "You had better confess everything you know now, or else—"

"Look, it's true. I can prove my gifts to you if you let me. I know that inside that carriage are two important people. An extremely short man with a deformed body and an elegant gentleman who is—"

"Are you talking about Lord Tyrrion and Lord Enryndal? Who doesn't know that they are traveling with us? Do you think you can fool me with such information? Do you take the Knights of the Northern Empire to be fools?!"

'H-huh?'

My eyes bulge.

I feel tremors course through my body.

"Enryndal Lanternmaker… Tyrrion the Visionary…" Those words slowly leave my lips, and I stare into blank space as though in a daze.

I know those people.

They made their mark in the Grand Era of Unification, and their feats were recorded in the annals of history.

Why?

Because…

"Die, slave!"

The captain swings his blade, and even though I see it coming, I don't dodge.

Instead, I whisper a few words.

"... The Great Bridgeworks."

"WAIT!!!"

A loud shout erupts from the carriage, causing the captain to instantly halt. His blade had already touched my neck, and I can even feel trickles of blood flow from my open wound.

But I remain expressionless.

My focus isn't on my trivial injuries but on the voice that has just left the third carriage.

It is gentle like the soft breeze, and pleasant as the coming of spring.

'Looks like there were no exaggerations in the poems…' A smile forms on my face as I witness the carriage door open and a dignified man step out.

He has long black hair, a bald chin, and a modest but finely woven robe, giving him the appearance of a noble scholar.

The dwarf inside the carriage pokes his head out to look at me, but retracts it just as quickly.

Perhaps it's just my imagination, but I even hear a grunt echo from inside the carriage. Even without introductions, I can assume that the man is indeed Tyrrion.

Tyrrion the Visionary!

He is a legendary figure in history and one of the heroes of the Grand Era of Unification.

He, alongside Enryndal Lanternmaker, designed the schematics of The Great Bridgeworks—an interconnected road path that connected the major Kingdoms of the Eariel Continent at the time.

It truly was a revolutionary development, as the bridges and roads maximized trade and encouraged travel.

'Tyrrion died early and very little is known about him, but Enryndal was the one who completed the Great Bridgeworks. He supervised its creation and was present at its completion. He's a true legendary character whose virtuous nature and great looks were well-recorded in the history books. As for Tyrrion, he was indeed recorded to be short and deformed. He had a terrible personality and he eventually died due to genetic complications.' I quickly recollect all the relevant historical information I have of the two, my eyes still widening in disbelief.

I can't believe it was those two.

I simply never thought about it that way, and that was for multiple reasons.

For one, Empires no longer existed during the time of Enryndal Lanternmaker and Tyrrion the Visionary.

We are Imperial Knights of the Northern Empire, and the capital just fell due to some figure or ideal known as Kalakuta.

I don't know any of these details, but none of them were present during the time of these two.

The Grand Era of Unification was generally peaceful. While there were small conflicts here and there, it wasn't anything severe.

In fact, the great troubles were political in nature. Without wars, Kingdoms were finding it difficult to obtain certain goods and services not native to their territory.

This created a lot of friction and rumors of war. The world was in great fear at that time, which is why the appearance of Tyrrion and Enryndal was so vital.

They proposed a revolutionary project that changed everything!

The Great Bridgeworks!

Grand roads of stone and reinforced bridges of metal that connected regions, lit by grand sky-lanterns that would guide the path of all travelers.

All of this happened around 5,000 BCE.

It's still recent history, and there are many documents that support what we know about those two and the Great Bridgeworks saga.

That's why it doesn't make sense that these two are here, and it's why I didn't recognize them until now.

'It's just as Ciel said. Trial Scenarios are a paradoxical mess. This chaotic world has blended multiple historical events together somehow, giving me this absurd situation to resolve.' I deeply sigh, trying my best to focus on the current situation.

Enryndal Lanternmaker approaches me with his tall, sleek physique.

I stare at his handsome face and his deep green eyes pierce my ordinary brown ones. I truly believe the paintings and poems didn't do justice to this man.

He is actually more attractive than the records say. I even thought he was a prince or someone related to the Emperor.

Or could he be—?

"Greetings, Noble Knight. My name is Enryndal. I am a humble servant of the great Emperor of the Northern Empire." He greets me respectfully, even bowing his head mildly to show his regard.

I also bow my head, albeit awkwardly, to return the sentiment.

"My Master, Sir Tyrrion, has chosen to remain in the carriage. As such, this humble Disciple of his has taken it upon himself to address you. I hope you can understand, as the Master is a very reserved person and does not like to concern himself with complicated matters like this one."

"I… understand."

No, I actually do not understand.

Enryndal's Master is Tyrrion? Weren't they partners as recorded in history?

In fact, they had different areas of specialty.

It is undisputed that both were geniuses in their fields. While Enryndal enjoyed greater success than Tyrrion, it wasn't due to the latter's lack of talent, but because he died too early.

His deformity stemmed from a genetic problem. He wasn't going to live long because of it, and although he sacrificed his years to the formulation of the Bridgeworks in theory, it was Enryndal that brought forth its practicality and oversaw its creation.

That's right!

Tyrrion was an architect while Enryndal was an engineer.

They had different specialties, to begin with.

'But it appears they are Master and Disciple in this warped narrative.' I sigh, a little taken aback by the development.

But I quickly acclimate to it.

If I don't adapt, I'll die.

'I'm already faring much better than I expected. I thought I would have to die at least once to get this right, but things are progressing well so far.'

"Tell me, brave Knight… What do you know about the Great Bridgeworks?"

Ahh…

I knew he would ask this.

But what am I to say? If I tell him what I know, it could turn out to be inaccurate, and he won't believe me.

After all, there are inconsistencies between this Trial Scenario and my own knowledge.

In the end, I'll have to take a risk.

'I'll sound as vague as possible so I don't mistakenly give out the wrong information. As long as I mention the most important aspect, I should be fine… right?'

"The Great Bridgeworks… It's a set of roads and bridges that connect the major nations of the continent. That's what I know."

"Continent? Hmm…" Enryndal rubs his chin for a moment before smiling and shaking his head.

'Oh no! Did I get it wrong?'

"You think too small, Knight. How about I enlighten you? The Empire has fallen, and our fates are undecided. It is no loss even if the rest of you hear this. The Great Bridgeworks… will span all five Continents and cover the known world!"

"W-what?!"

My eyes nearly bulge in shock.

Five Continents?!

I have only heard of the Great Bridgeworks being constructed in Eariel, and it was only to connect major Kingdoms in separate regions to one another.

It took decades to complete that big project.

'To think the ambition of these two is even greater in the Trial Scenario. My goodness, what an absurd situation.'

I wasn't expecting this.

"Of course, this is simply a rough plan. Your knowledge of such classified information is certainly interesting."

"It's because he is a spy!" The captain suddenly speaks up, glaring very deeply at me.

I look around at everyone, but it appears that they are too bamboozled by the information Enryndal just shared with them.

"Enryndal… why did you speak of the Great Bridgeworks just now?" A deep, nearly distorted voice suddenly echoes from within the carriage.

It sounds scary listening to it.

Almost like a devil is talking or a Magivore grumbling.

What an unpleasant sound!

'Although Tyrrion was famed for designing the frameworks and overall schematics of the Great Bridgeworks, he wasn't the most pleasant person. I also didn't like him very much when learning about him, and that sentiment has only grown.' I hide my frown while thinking of the man.

I'm more biased towards Enryndal for a reason—and it isn't simply because of his good looks

In terms of personality, talent, and overall skill, he was superior.

'In fact, didn't he even correct many schematic errors that Tyrrion made after his death? If there was to be a Master/Disciple relationship, shouldn't it be the other way around? Tyrrion should be the Disciple in this instance!'

"Forgive me, Master. I made a mistake. Because of our shared fate as fellow travelers, I assumed it would be fine to tell them of the plan."

"It isn't your place to do so."

"I apologize. It won't happen again."

See?

Such courtesy!

Such virtue and display of flexibility!

This is why Enryndal is more of a heroic character than Tyrrion, who has shown me that his representation in the historical accounts were accurate.

He is simply too rigid and mannerless.

"It is as the Master says. I can't discuss the Great Bridgeworks with you any longer, but I do want to believe your words. Do you truly believe we will be ambushed once we reach the border?"

I nod the moment I hear this question.

Yes!

This is it—my big break!

If there is anyone I can make believe me, it's this man. If he vouches for me, then I can somehow succeed in this venture.

"I will be honest with you, brave Knight, you are quite a suspicious fellow. I have been observing you for some time now, right before the arrows were launched. You were staring at our carriage for quite an extended period, which piqued my interest."

'A-ah!' My eyes twitch. 'Then does that mean he also saw me use Tracing? Looks like I can't hide any more of my abilities.'

"Yes. It is because of my vision." I tell him plainly, bowing respectfully once again. "In this vision, after we are ambushed, both you and Master Tyrrion are taken out of the carriage."

"Does that mean the enemies are aware of the Great Bridgeworks plan?"

"Most likely…" I nod.

At this point, the captain points his blade at me, his eyes narrowing at me.

"And is there a way to prove you aren't one of them?" He asks me with a grave tone.

Just what is this man's deal?

Why is he so determined to make me the spy?

'Could it be—?' Right as I think this, Enryndal speaks up and even lowers the captain's blade with his hand.

"Relax, captain." He smiles warmly, like a man of great disposition. "If he were a spy, why would he expose himself in such a foolish manner? I believe he is telling the truth."

'Oh? As expected of Enryndal!'

I am so glad I took this risk and got the acknowledgment of this man.

But why isn't he exposing my Tracing ability?

Could it be that he didn't see me?

I look at Enryndal in the face, and he grins knowingly before winking at me.

This confirms it!

He knows!

But he isn't saying anything about it.

He must have assumed that I am keeping it secret for a reason.

Such tact…

He really is as the legends say.

"F-fine…" The Captain sighs and finally unsheathes his blade. "Since Lord Enryndal vouches for him, I will trust him as well."

'Just like that, huh?'

I cast an inconspicuous glare on the captain and feel a growing suspicion in my heart.

'Could this man actually be the hidden spy?'

No, wait.

If he were a spy, why would he be attacked by the barbaric warriors?

Maybe they double crossed him.

He also didn't seem too surprised when Enryndal mentioned details of The Great Bridgeworks, which means he could be the culprit who informed the enemies of the plan.

That could be how they got to know of the duo's importance and ended up targeting the third carriage.

After having these and many other thoughts, my suspicions begin to rise uncontrollably.

I am almost completely certain he is guilty.

But how can I prove it?

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